Balanced Grizzlies send Mavs to second straight loss
MEMPHIS, Tenn. >> Mike Conley scored 21 points, Jeff Green added 19 and seven Memphis players reached double figures in a 110-96 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
Marc Gasol had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Memphis, which won its fifth in the last six games. Matt Barnes and Mario Chalmers added 14 points apiece, and JaMychal Green contributed 13.
Raymond Felton and J.J. Barea each scored 16 points and tried to pull the Mavericks back into the game in the fourth quarter. Dirk Nowitzki finished with 14 points and Zaza Pachulia had 13, both also grabbing 10 rebounds.
Wesley Matthews had 11 points and Deron Williams finished with 10 as Dallas lost its second straight.
Memphis capitalized on 19 Dallas turnovers and limited the Mavericks to 39 percent shooting. Nowitzki was just 5 of 15.
The Mavericks trailed by 25 after JaMychal Green connected on a 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter. But Barea worked to keep Dallas in the game, scoring six straight points.
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That kick-started a 19-4 rally by the Mavericks, pulling Dallas within 10 points on a couple of occasions just past the midway point of the fourth. Felton, meanwhile, was en route to 14 points in the fourth, connecting on all four of his 3-pointers.
When the Memphis lead was at 11 with under 5 minutes left, the Mavericks started fouling Tony Allen, a 50 percent free throw shooter. Allen made six of the eight free throws during the strategy, helping Memphis maintain its double-digit lead.
Both teams shot under 38 percent in the first half, combining to go just 5 of 25 from outside the arc. Conley’s 3-pointer closed the scoring in the half, giving him 11 points and a 46-36 lead for Memphis.
The Grizzlies opened the second half with a 10-2 run for a 56-38 lead and eventually would extend the advantage to 82-60 by the end of the period. Pachulia, Barea and Williams had 10 points apiece to lead Dallas scorers at that point, but Williams was sitting on the bench with five fouls.
TIP-INS:
Mavericks: Dallas entered the game averaging 13.4 turnovers a game. It had eight in the first quarter en route to 12 by halftime. …The Mavericks’ 36 points in the first half were a season low. … Nowitzki, who leads the league in 3-point percentage at 53.3 percent, was 2 of 5 from outside the arc.
Grizzlies: Memphis F Zach Randolph missed his third straight game with a sore right knee. Barnes started his first game of the season in Randolph’s spot. … Vince Carter entered the game in the first quarter, moving him past Steve Nash for 31st on the league’s games played list with 1,218. … Chalmers, who entered the game tied for third in the league shooting free throws at 93.8 percent, was 6 of 10 from the line.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Visit San Antonio on Wednesday.
Grizzlies: Visit Houston on Wednesday.